


level one

by stilljunhui (acyria)



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Gamers, Gaming, M/M, Markmin Rise, More like pre-Markmin than actual Markmin, idk how to tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2018-04-14
Packaged: 2019-04-22 17:36:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,953
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14313759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acyria/pseuds/stilljunhui
Summary: On most occasions, Mark’s saving grace came in the form of Nana, the guild’s resident Mage and overall leader.





	level one

**Author's Note:**

> I’m back with another shot at Markmin that was mainly inspired by the movie Ready Player One since I watched it recently! I haven’t read the book, so I really only know the movie, which was really cool overall. The idea of virtual reality has always appealed to me and I wanted to make it into a proper fic, but I ended up with something more of a general gaming type of AU instead. I’ll get to a more formal virtual reality fic soon, I’m sure.
> 
> Disclaimer: I don’t really play much games, so I used very minimal info based on the few knowledge I’ve picked up from listening to my boyfriend rant about his own gaming escapades, so do excuse any glaring mistakes! The game I use in the story is made up although lowkey inspired by the only game I found myself playing which is Hearthstone, so technically my only possible mistakes are in gaming lingo since I don’t have any game specifics since Hearthstone is mainly a card game despite being based off World of Warcraft. If ever, the cringe-y game parts don’t last too long. I think. 

In the realm of Neo City, Mark Lee could be anybody and anything he ever wanted. 

Well, no. Technically he could only choose from the game’s given classes, but it was still something compared to how things were in real life. If anything, the best part about it was choosing how he wanted his character to look like. Who doesn’t enjoy customizing a character, right? Sure, he also needed to earn gold and coins to be able to upgrade his items into cooler things and even more useful ones, but that was fine and easier compared to earning money in the real world, too. Overall, Neo City was a much needed escape into a land of fantasy and fun.

In his case, his character was a Priest, a healer type. He genuinely didn’t consider that most people found healing not as exciting as getting into the game’s action. The Priest class had the coolest looking attire for a male character, which appealed to him the most—tall, dark, and handsome, flashy clothes, all that jazz. It’s not like he was bad at healing anyway, as long as he upgraded his weapons regularly.

Still, Mark really hated gaming, sometimes.

** [MESSAGE] SUN_: Catch up, n00b @L33. **

Okay, so he didn’t hate gaming _per se_ , maybe just the people he had to play with whenever he decided to play since he joined the Dream Guild. Sun—big, blonde sack of muscle that he was as a Warrior compared to Mark’s tiny Healer frame—was always calling him out despite being in the same guild; it was okay sometimes, but on days where the whole team just kept suffering losses, Mark couldn’t help but feel annoyed at the nagging attitude. He knew it wasn’t just his fault they were in a slump, so what if he was the healer? It was their own fault they kept getting hurt doing dumb things, too.

** [MESSAGE] L33: Quit getting killed right away first, Sun, you’re tank for a reason. **

**[MESSAGE] SUN_: I wouldn’t be killed if I was healed properly!!1!!111!!!!**

** [MESSAGE] LADYN4N4: Guys, knock it off. We have a mission to complete. Sun, follow orders better. **

** [MESSAGE] SUN_: You always take his side, Nana! :( **

On most occasions, Mark’s saving grace came in the form of Nana, the guild’s resident Mage and overall leader. Nana was in charge of making sure the plans laid were solid and foolproof—until the other team members decide to mess it up, of course—and she did the job well. Not to mention her character was dressed as a beautiful elf maiden that happened to look quite good next to Mark’s own. The idea that the person behind Nana could be just as beautiful was yet another fantasy in Mark’s head he often dismissed, but not often enough.

** [MESSAGE] JENES1S: Because Lee actually listens to Nana like you should, Sun. **

**[MESSAGE] SUN_: Okay, sure, gang up on me then!!!!**

**[MESSAGE] SUN_: Jen, I thought for sure you were on my side!**

** [MESSAGE] JENES1S: I’m most loyal to the guild leader. Whichever side Nana is on, so am I. **

** [MESSAGE] SUN_: What a suck up to the beautiful lady. **

** [MESSAGE] JENES1S: [sent a wink emote] **

Mark couldn’t help but frown at that, too. It was a bit cliche to be a group of guys desperately vying for a gamer girl’s attention, yet here they were, apparently. At least, him and Jenesis were often doing their best to be on Nana’s good side. Sun did things his own way, along with their other guild members if they were around. For that night, it was just the four of them desperately trying to find King Ty’s treasure while fighting off hoards of pirate zombies.

Fun stuff, really.

** [MESSAGE] LADYN4N4: Let’s just focus and win this thing, I have to go soon. **

** [MESSAGE] L33: You got it! **

The game eventually lasted another hour with thankfully no more complaints from Sun and less losses overall. Mark even leveled up by the end of the mission while Jenesis was generous enough to share the loot he had gotten as their main assist. His Hunter character was only slightly less fancy and well-dressed at Mark’s and neither was he all that good, but he always managed to charm his way to everyone’s good graces through giving shares of his gold. Nana was always particularly happy. A part of Mark wanted to share gold, too, but he had upgrades to do and figured he'd be much more useful with better healing equipment. 

** [PRIVATE] Renjun: Hey, Mark, you there? **

** [PRIVATE] Mark: Yeah, what’s up? We just finished King Ty’s mission, you're late, dude. **

** [PRIVATE] Renjun: I had homework. Anyway, have you heard about tomorrow? **

** [PRIVATE] Mark: Tomorrow? What’s happening tomorrow? **

** [PRIVATE} Renjun: The Dream Guild IRL meet up!!! Didn’t you see Sun’s announcement on the board the other day? **

Among the other 6 members of the Dream Guild, Mark really only knew one of them in real life, at least for now. Huang Renjun was his friend from school and was also the one who introduced Neo City in the first place. Still, they’ve all known each other through the game for at least a few months now, enough to know that they at least all lived in South Korea, within Seoul. Real life meet ups weren’t uncommon in the gaming scene and Mark’s been to a few before. It usually involved just a bunch of guys playing the same game, but within the same area now compared to the comfort of their own homes. Classic.

He had to admit though, the thought of a Dream Guild meet up felt the most exciting, since it was the first guild he was in that had a female player. So maybe he was a little bit in love with Lady Nana’s skills and mastery of the Mage class, one of the hardest ones in Neo City. Renjun has told him off about his growing game crush before, claiming that they don’t even know if Lady Nana is how she is in person as well. Mark had simply said he didn’t care. The game crush was still a valid game crush. It was a crush on the person’s skills, anyway.

** [PRIVATE] Mark: Ah, right, I must have forgotten to check the notification for it. **

** [PRIVATE] Mark: Are you going? **

** [PRIVATE] Renjun: Yeah, why not, it sounds fun. It’s near my place, too, so do you wanna come over here first then we could go together? **

**[PRIVATE] Mark: Sounds good.**

After a few messages from Renjun, Mark was about to log out of the game and get back to doing his own set of homework, when another notification caught his attention, one that managed to make his heart skip a beat at the sight.

** [GUILD CHAT] LADYN4N4: Hey @L33, are you going to tomorrow’s meet up? **

** [GUILD CHAT] SUN_: Why are you only asking him? So biased, Nana! **

** [GUILD CHAT] LADYN4N4: He’s the only one who hasn’t answered your post, Sun, that’s why I’m asking. **

Oh, right. 

Mark’s little moment of joy deflated a bit, but even so, he could always consider the fact that Nana asked him regardless.

** [GUILD CHAT] L33: Yeah, wouldn’t miss it for the world. **

 

 

 

It wasn’t often that Mark had trouble choosing what to wear. Especially not when he knew where he was going held a bunch of guys with headphones on, eyes glued to a computer screen. The chosen meet up place was a gaming cafe, which made what their plans were glaringly obvious, although it really was from the beginning. Still, he was meeting his teammates for the first time and a part of him wanted to impress. His character was always well customized, why not himself, right?

“Are you sure you didn’t just dress up for Nana?” Renjun asked as he eyed Mark’s outfit yet another time since they met up at his house.

Mark rolled his eyes, “of course not. Still, it would help if she liked it, though.”

“ _Again,_ ” the Chinese boy stated with a sigh. “We’re not even sure if the figure behind Lady Nana is an actual lady. For all we know, Nana could be as big and buff as Sun’s game character. That comes with being a _dude_.”

“If there’s anything I’m sure of, it’s that Sun in real life is just as annoying as Sun is in the game,” Mark said jokingly. It was also a thinly veiled attempt at changing the topic, which Renjun saw through immediately. They’ve had this conversation multiple times before, causing the other boy to raise his eyebrows at Mark until the elder was forced to submit. He scratched the back of his head, “okay, fine. On the off chance that Nana is a girl, it’ll be great. If she isn’t, I doubt it’ll change that they’re a good player and I’d want to impress them, too. More than Jenesis, for sure.”

At the quip, Renjun couldn’t help but snort.

“Don’t hate on poor Jenesis in real life, too, he's probably a nice guy.”

After a few more minutes of lounging around the house, the pair decided to head off to the said gaming cafe. Mark had almost—just _almost_ —managed to convince Renjun to play a round of Neo City with him, but the other boy knew that it would probably suck them in and they’ll never leave the house. They were going to play with the rest soon anyway, so Mark’s efforts were really in vain. Plus, their guild would be on the way to meet, too. Nobody else would be online.

The walk to Culture Tech was a short one. As Mark walked in, he was immediately greeted by a high pitched voice.

“Quit cheating! You’re _cheating!_ ” a blond boy shouted, as the sandy haired boy across him laughed in an equally high pitch. 

“There’s no way I know how to cheat in Go Fish, Sun—I mean Donghyuck.”

Mark stared at the loud boy—Sun, of course. He didn’t expect anything less. At least their guild was easy to spot amidst the other players in the cafe. Renjun must have heard the same scene (who didn’t, honestly) as he eagerly began to walk towards them. From what Mark could see, there were only three other guys around. Sun, the guy he was playing with, and another that watched silently. No sign of a female anywhere.

“Hey!” Renjun greeted enthusiastically. “Dream Guild? Did I hear that right, Sun?”

“Call me Donghyuck in the real world. You’ll get used to it eventually,” the blond said with equal fervour. He stuck a hand out for Renjun to shake. “This cheater is Chenle; GoldenBoy in the game. The other guy is Jisung, the only one among us who actually used his real name as a username.”

Mark grinned, “Jisung Park.”

Jisung shrugged nonchalantly, “it was an easier choice, people would assume it was because of the soccer player anyway. Who are you guys?”

“Lee and Injun,” Mark decided to say, gesturing towards himself and Renjun, who used his Korean name as a username. not that the others knew about that bit other than Mark. It wasn’t really any better than Jisung, but it still wasn’t his real name, even if Mark called him out the first time he heard about it. Renjun’s next choice had been Moomin143 which made the other boy threaten to disown him as a friend. He smiled, “Mark and Renjun, respectively.”

At the mention of his username, Donghyuck narrowed his eyes at him immediately.

“Not too shabby in the real world too, Noob Priest.”

Surprisingly, the taunt didn’t sound as annoying in person as it did in the game. Probably because Donghyuck followed it with a bright smile and a laugh that showed he meant it as nothing more than a joke soon after and suddenly his username about being the sun made sense. Bright and slightly annoying, but not too much. Mark rolled his eyes playfully in return, liking the guy already.

“And you’re the exact opposite of your buff Warrior, useless tank.”

The two boys shared a high five as Chenle looked around the room and did a mental headcount of the boys present.

“So we’re only lacking Jenesis and Nana, right?”

At the mention of the ever so mysterious and intriguing Nana, Mark couldn’t help but be more alert again. In the next few minutes that passed, he devoted half of his attention to getting to know the guys present and the other half to staring at the door. The gaming cafe was still very much filled with the scent of man. It took only a few more moments of waiting before the door’s bell chimed again and in came two more figures.

Two boys who made a beeline for their little group immediately.

“Dream Guild?” the black haired boy said a little unsurely, staring at the only group of boys who weren’t on the computers yet.

Donghyuck nodded, “that’s us. Introduce yourselves. One of you has to be Nana, which means you’re a dude, so _pay up_ , Jisungie.”

As the youngest boy in the guild groaned and fished for his wallet, Mark’s eyes were focused on the boy behind the one who spoke. The brunette was watching the group with bright eyes and a small smile on his lips, which turned into an amused grin at Donghyuck’s words. Surprisingly, thoughts about how he hoped Nana was a girl flew out his mind immediately, as it was replaced with how much he hoped _that_ boy was Nana and not Jenesis.

Followed only shortly after by the realization that they arrived together. What did that mean?

The black haired boy laughed, “sorry to burst your bubble guys, but yeah. I’m Jeno and this is Nana. That’s his actual nickname.”

“You can also call me Jaemin,” the brunette finally spoke, voice deeper than Mark expected would come from such a pretty face. “Did you guys really expect a girl?”

Before Mark could say anything, Renjun piped up beside him.

“Lee did!”

At that, he quickly elbowed his friend in the ribs which caused Renjun to topple over from his spot on the sofa’s armrest. Jaemin turned towards him with that still amused grin and Mark found that he couldn’t look away. He was beginning to think he’d have been more prepared if Nana actually was a girl rather than a very good looking boy, who just had to come in with _Jenesis_ of all people. Not that he didn’t like Jeno, who had what seemed like a permanent smile on his face, but still. 

“Sorry, Lee,” Jaemin said apologetically, although it was clear by his still shining eyes that he still found everything to be funny. 

“Call me Mark,” the other boy replied smoothly (or so he hoped).

After another round of introductions, the boys finally took their seats at the computer section. Mark found himself sitting between Jaemin and Renjun as they all began to load the game. It was also eventually explained that Mark and Renjun were friends in real life, along with Jaemin and Jeno, which explained why they arrived together. Donghyuck made a small joke that their in game characters looked good together and so did they in real life, which made both boys fake gagging and claim they were best friends and that was that. 

Mark couldn’t help the small feeling of relief that built up in his chest.

Before the game was about to start, Donghyuck spoke from the end of the line, “now that we know Lady Nana is also a guy, I hope there will be no bias towards handsome characters! Looking at _you_ , Jenesis and Lee! Got that, Nana?”

Next to Mark, Jaemin couldn’t help but laugh while Mark also couldn’t help but stare at the other boy despite Donghyuck’s little comment, just a soft mumble in the background amidst his loud thoughts. He was so close, after all, to Jaemin’s hair all soft and brown, skin smooth and his teeth oddly very white. What was he doing noticing even teeth, of all things? His next statement didn’t help Mark’s growing crush—definitely far from his original game crush now—as Jaemin replied with a teasing grin.

“Sorry, even as a guy, I’m biased to handsome characters.”

He turned to the side as he spoke, and Jaemin must have noticed that Mark had been staring by now because as he met the other boy’s eye, his grin grew wider. Before Mark could look away and pretend he hadn’t been staring this whole time, Jaemin had winked—actually winked—and leaned in closer to whisper at the frozen boy.

“Are you disappointed I’m not a girl?”

Before Mark could reply, the game’s music began to play loudly in his ears, signalling the start of their mission. Jaemin didn’t wait for a reply either, choosing instead to smile again and return to his original position, eyes locked on the screen and hands poised for gaming. Now that they were all friends both inside and outside the game, the option of a voice call was available to them and soon his deep voice flowed through Mark’s ears as he gave his usual directions while the rest of the guild followed.

Since it had just begun and they weren’t really fighting anything yet, Mark took the time to click on a certain username and send a message; the smile that appeared on Jaemin’s face soon afterwards didn’t disappear until the moment Donghyuck didn’t follow his instructions again, but even then it returned quickly. If their chairs ended up inching closer as the day continued, well, Mark had no comment.

His message?

** [MENTION @LADYN4N4] L33: Not one bit. **

**Author's Note:**

> /whispers/ sequel? perhaps
> 
> If you like my work and would like to support me, please consider buying me coffee! https://ko-fi.com/stilljunhui


End file.
